Page 269 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

Chapter 10

Three days later Bailey was informed his lawyer wanted to see him. Given that the lawyer had been worse than useless—and had probably gotten a fat bonus from the men who’d stitched him up—he didn’t want to go, but he’d never seen the woman in the room before. From the doorway, he could smell she wasn’t a shifter. She wasn’t human either, but she had that energy about her like Kass. Was that what witches felt like? If he’d known that in the club, he wouldn’t have kissed Kass and they wouldn’t be in this mess.

Or maybe he would’ve because there’d been something about him. He liked the sharp edges that he could cut his tongue on. He’d certainly like to be using his actual tongue on Kass instead of only his imagination.

The night after the visit, Kass had followed through and he’d damn near bit through his knuckles trying to stay quiet. He wasn’t sure if his mind had filled in the blanks or if Kass really knew what he was doing. Either way, every time they met like that the need for more grew. He wanted to get laid so badly it hurt. But he refused to count down the days.

When he got out, he would spend a week with Kass just fucking.

He put the brakes on that thought before he started building a future that may not happen. One day at a time was Eli’s advice, and he was taking it.

However, he was hanging out for Friday so he could run through the bond with Kass. Maybe it would happen once or twice before Kass moved on or forgot, so he had to make the most of it. That he doubted Kass was like a thorn between his toes. It shouldn’t be there, but he didn’t know how to pull it out either. Kass had never once turned his back, and he’d followed through on everything. But Bailey still couldn’t trust him fully. He was too good.

The money Kass had put into his account had to last, so as much as he’d have liked to buy chocolate, he didn’t. He’d gotten a haircut, and that was all. He was still missing the length—every time he touched his head there was only short stubble—but at least he didn’t have the god-awful regrowth.

He sat opposite the lawyer and the guard closed the door, leaving them alone.

She snapped her fingers. “Now we have sound proofing. Can’t do anything about the video recording. Remain seated and we’ll be left alone.”

He stared at her. “I don’t know you. You’re not a lawyer.”

“Yes, I am.” She put her business card on the table. “I do cases like this pro bono. My way of helping our community.”

Lucy Petony.He didn’t recognize the firm name, but the card was thick, and the letters were raised, giving it an expensive feel. She’d said our community like he belonged to something bigger.

He put the card on the table. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t understand why you’re here?”

She gave him a thin smile. “Do you know about the Coven?”

He shook his head. Only that Kass said he was getting them involved. “Is it to do with witches?”

“It’s the governing body for witches and shifters and a few of the other small groups. We look out for each other and make sure no one is putting us at risk. Like your family, we like to stay hidden, but we do it in plain sight.”

He nodded like he understood, but he felt like he’d walked into a theoretical math class. “So the Coven doesn’t hunt shifters… Can they really not hear us?”

She ignored his questions. “Do you have any contact with other shifters?”

“In here? There’s only one.” And it wasn’t Bailey’s place to out Eli. “Before? Not really. Like I knew that others existed because I saw them about.”

“I mean snow leopards?”

“Oh…There were others, but I never met them.”

“Okay. And witches? What do you know about them?”

That depended on how much of what he’d been told was true. Probably very little. “Kass is the first witch I’ve met.”

“So you don’t know anything about the bond?”

“Not before it happened.” He resisted fidgeting, but the tone had changed, and he wasn’t ready. “We’re joined somehow. I can feel when he’s in trouble and such.” And she didn’t need to know the rest.

“Some shifters think being a familiar is an honor, others shun it. It’s a shared magic. You both get stronger, but the trade is that your lives are bound.”

“But it can be broken?” They’d gone too far for that.

She gave a single nod. “Yes, but the witch must surrender their magic.”

Bailey gasped as though hit. “He didn’t tell me that. I can’t ask him to do that.”

---